The Reluctant Royal
by Grignard
Summary: Haru must complete three impossible tasks given by her Uncle, the King, while assisted by the mysterious Baron. BaronHaru
1. Chapter 1: Lost

_Hey Everyone. I planned to make_ Haru's Wish_ into a one-shot, so instead I'll write this one as a chaptered story. Thanks so much for reviewing _Haru's Wish_. Y'all are so much nicer than the other fandoms. Oh and sorry about misspelling Yuki's name. Little Finger is the Vietnamese version of Thumbelina. Enjoy!_

_If anyone can tell me how to get the tab feature to work, that'll be great. _

_Little Finger belongs to Lynette Dyer Vuong's _The Brocaded Slipper: and other Tales from Vietnam. _The Cat Returns belongs to Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli._

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_Chapter 1: Lost_

Haru groaned. She was lost, hopelessly lost. She carefully retraced her steps that she took: left at the bush, right at the bridge, another right at the river making a note on the map that she held. She screamed in frustration and threw the map on the ground. She had been walking for hours. "There was no fork anywhere on the map!" she exclaimed.

Plunking herself on the side of the road she sighed and waited for a traveler to come across the road.

"How did I get myself into this mess?" she questioned herself silently. Oh yeah, it was from being too nosy, she remembered.

For as long as she could remember she felt awkward and unwanted. She recalled living with her mother in their quilt shop about five years ago. It was a happy time of playing with the other children and running the shop with her mother. Haru blinked back tears as she remembered the epidemic that took away most of her friends, and her mother. She could only watch helplessly as her mother wasted away to skin and bones in their small one room home above their shop.

As soon as her mother died, Haru could barely blink before finding out that their shop was to be confiscated by the Royal Government and she was to be turned out of her home. Humiliated, she was prepared to stay at the household of her best friend, Hiromi when an imperial mandarin approached her with an official message from the King.

He revealed that she was really the daughter of the former King, who abdicated the throne to his younger brother when he chose to marry a commoner, her mother. Stunned, Haru barely could recollect her father, just that he had died in a riding accident when she was young.

Haru frowned. She could remember seeing fear reflected in her mother's tear filled eyes when she heard of her father's death. In deep sleep, on the night he died, Haru could hear mumbled words from her mother like, "Why? ... Accomplished rider… not possible," from her grief filled mouth.

She barely had time to grab some of her mother's most cherished possessions when she was whisked away to the royal palace for an audience with the current King, her uncle. She bowed low before him, painfully aware of her shabby clothes amidst his splendor.

"Haru," he said through a strained smile.

Public opinion of him had waned as he inflicted more taxes upon his people in order to build up his hoard of wealth. His advisors told him daily of whisperings among the people to remove him in favor of putting his niece in his place. The populace fondly recalled the days of plenty when Haru's kinder and gentler father had been king. He opened the royal grains and treasuries to feed his people during hard times, and always advocated peace, instead of open warfare like the current king. Their sons and brothers had been taken away from them far too many times on the King's whim to obtain a small pocket of precious gold in some far away land.

"You are to be given new clothes and will live in the palace until you become of age to marry," he instructed her.

Haru was confused. She knew of the King's cruelty towards the people, but offering her clothes and a place in the palace? Perhaps the rumors were exaggerated. She was sadly wrong.

The clothes were the tattered hand-me-downs of another girl, and Haru's place in the palace was that as a common maid. Her room was above the rickety stairs in the tallest tower. When it rained, the roof leaked mercilessly everywhere, and in winter ice formed on her thin blanket. Haru had made the best of things, however. She had found some needle and thread to patch and fix her rags, and the tower displayed a view of the most gorgeous sunrises and sunsets.

But there were days when she wanted to throw herself out the window. She had the worst position of all the servants: serving her cousins, the King's twin daughters: Mitsuki and Ying. Both were as vain as peacocks, wasteful, and completely self-centered. They would order her to light the fire, but then to immediately put it out again. They would demand a four-course meal which took the cook hours to make, only to take a bite, and insist that they throw the rest out.

Fortunately the food did not go to waste. Haru would take the untouched meals and sneak it down to the kitchen alley. There, the orphans and poor of the city waited and she would carefully divide up the food amongst them. At first, the guards were about to stop her, but when they saw _their_ families in the crowd they let her go about her business.

She quickly made friends with the other servants, often asking them to be on the lookout for extra blankets, food, and firewood to give to the others. With new maids, she protected them and made sure each had enough to eat, and were not hassled by some of the more insidious guards. She became an angel to the staff and to the people, but none knew her true identity as a princess.

Haru, Ying, and Mitsuki become of age in the same year. Already great plans were underway for an immense festival for the princesses, excluding Haru of course. She was to work in the kitchen serving food, while the princesses received mountains of clothes, money, and jewelry.

On the day of the festival, while the wealthy class children marveled at the pretty colors of the party, the lower class children worked doggedly to clean the trash up the streets or anything to make the city more "perfect." A great number of the lower class families had been ordered to stay in their homes to make the city more ideal to the visiting nobles.

Her hand shook visible with rage as Haru saw the cruelty of her uncle. Of course, she could never call him that title for fear of being turned out into the streets. She would always remain their servant for the rest of their lives. Standing in the kitchen, she quickly picked up another streaming tray of food to serve to the aristocrats. The King was making a speech.

"As you know today is my daughters' eighteenth birthday," he announced loudly.

Polite clapping continued until he waved his arms for silence. Haru smiled grimly. She had been eighteen for two months now, and instead of a party all she got was dirty pots and dishes to scrub. The servants did, however, pool their money together to purchase her a new dress to replace her tattered one. She placed the fancy meals down by each royal's side and listened attentively to the King.

"They are now of age to marry and whomever they do will become King when I die." The girls mock cried urging their father not to mention such terrible news, but all the while inwardly counting down until the day. He continued on.

"Because we can not determine who the elder is _just bear with me on this part, I know it's confusing._, I have devised a series of three contests to determine who will rule. I believe they are quite fair, though, and that any princess could complete them. He had meant to say that the contest could be completed easily by _his_ girls, but _someone_ interpreted the meaning differently.

"Any Princess?" Haru shouted out. She quickly covered her mouth. She really didn't mean to say anything, just to think it, but her anger had been too great. "Come on now! A contest to decide our kingdom's fate?" she had been thinking furiously. She couldn't take back what she said though, and waited for the King's reaction.

A deafening silence fell over the ceremonial room and the King gaped at Haru. Several noblemen snickered to each other on what gall a servant girl had to have in order to speak out of turn to the King. The servants tried to motion Haru to be silent, but she would not obey.

"I ask again, any Princess from your kingdom?" she said loudly.

"Yes," the King said nervously, wondering what she was doing calling attention to herself. He was infuriated and planned to have her whipped and beaten so badly after the party that she would never speak out again.

"Then I will also take place in the contest," she announced gravely. The spectators looked at each other in confusion. Rumors of an illegitimate daughter soon escalated around the room.

Haru hissed out, "I am not _his_ daughter!" in complete revulsion at the thought.

"She is the daughter of the former King!" an advisor gasped in surprise. There was a greater escalation of whispers at this comment.

Her Uncle sputtered out at her in rage, "Your father abdicated the throne to me to marry a commoner. You no longer have the right to be called a princess!"

"That commoner was my Mother! Don't you dare speak ill of her. I am still of royal blood!" she retorted back.

Helplessly battling Haru's convictions, the King looked towards his advisors but they could do nothing but shrug at him. Secretly they were glad the Haru had stepped up because they risked their lives every day dealing with the King's mood swings and ire.

In the smallest voice possible he conceded to her taking place in the contest.

Haru grinned and listened to what the first task would be.

Struggling with what to do, the King pondered for a moment. Originally he was going to ask his daughters to bring him a rose or a feather, something simple. Now, he'd have to change the plan in order to provide Haru with the greatest difficulty but still giving one of his daughters a chance.

Grinning on finally realizing the perfect ordeal he proclaimed, "I am getting old in my age and I want to judge the future ruler of this kingdom." "Before we can actually begin the contest I order the _princesses_," he said with great malevolence, "to find husbands for themselves in a week's time."

Haru's face scrunched up in confusion. A husband? How was she ever going to find one in such short time? The servants were out of the question, and she certainly would not want any from the upper class. She consented however and was dismissed back to her room to prepare for her journey.

The King secretly had ordered the guards to beat Haru so that she may not be able to start her journey, and therefore be disqualified. The guards were her friends though, and had warned Haru to leave immediately, so she did. They returned to the King explaining to him that Haru had already left before they could get a chance to attack her. Wincing, they waited for the King to order their execution, but he was distracted by his daughters and dismissed them. Gratefully they left his presence while uttering a quiet prayer for Haru's success.

She had six days wandering around town looking for a husband. Most she deemed were unfit to even be alive, much less rule a kingdom. So here she was, sitting by the side of the road, completely lost from looking at a map her uncle had given her. She slapped her forehead with her hand for actually believing that her uncle had wanted to aid her on her journey.

She was running out of time! What was she going to do now?

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_Please Review,  
Grignard _  



	2. Chapter 2: Make New Friends

_Thanks for reviewing. Finally picked a name for the King, sorry for the confusion._

**Thundercat**_: All the characters are the same as in the movie. I really did not like the idea of making Baron human. He just doesn't seem as cool as when he's a cat. _

**Naphtali Phoenix**: _Thanks for your review!_

**EarthGurdian**: _Haha, I wouldn't want the PPC to do anything drastic. Thanks for your review._

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_Chapter II: Make New Friends_

Haru sat by the side of the road watching for any sign of a traveler to ask for directions. Her sensitive ears picked up the clip-clop of horse hooves. She frowned. It was a rapid beat, which meant someone was riding in a hurry. She saw a strange cat approach the opposite end of the road with a small parcel clenched between its teeth. Its coat was a charcoal grey and had the oddest green and red eyes. Haru had a feeling that it might get hurt from the oncoming traffic but shrugged the feeling off.

"It's just a cat," she murmured.

Dropping the box, the cat carefully nudged it with its nose, trying to right it to grab a hold of the ribbon. Never noticing the runaway carriage which was quickly closing the distance between them, it gave a yelp of outrage as Haru scooped up both the cat and package in her arms in front of the speeding carriage before collapsing on the other side of the road. She yelled a curse at the horse-drawn carriage to watch where he was going when she had noticed the emblem embedded on the carriage side.

"The royal seal!" she thought. "It must be the princesses trying to find their husbands." She sighed quietly and stared at her reflection in the nearby lake.

Who would ever marry her? I mean, just look at her. The Princesses had long, raven black hair. Hers was a mousy brown cropped short as a regulation for being a servant. The Princesses played all day with a golden ball under a white silk canopy so that their skin remained smooth and pale. Her skin was dark from the sun and her hands coarse from cleaning and scrubbing dishes all day. She sighed dejectedly again.

"Mistress, Thank you for saving my life," an elegant voice said.

Glancing around, Haru could see no one. A quiet "ahem" was uttered and she looked down in amazement to see the gray cat standing upright on its hind legs.

In shock she could only utter, "I'm not an upper class person; you don't have to call me Mistress."

The cat bowed to her quietly, acknowledging her request. "If you would follow me, you can find rest from your journey."

Dumbly, Haru stood and quickly followed the cat which had dropped to all fours and ran off into the bushes. Stooping, and sometimes crawling Haru kept a close eye on the sprinting cat.

"Slow down! I can't go that fast!" she called out as she suddenly lost him around a bend.

Stumbling on a hidden tree root, she fell and rolled several times into an open clearing. Finally landing flat on her back with arms and legs outstretched she stared into a pristine blue sky. Looking around she saw yellow daffodils. She had never felt so relaxed and peaceful in all her life.

She sat up to find herself staring at a quaint green house alone amidst the field of flowers. There the gray cat sat patiently on the porch until she caught up with him. Haru waited a short distance away from the house as she watched the cat lift one paw and rang the doorbell. Wondering who would live in such a tiny house, she had assumed it was another cat. It turns out she was right…sort of.

She could hear the clipped precision of shoes hitting a wooden floor on the other side of the closed door as the owner of the home walked across the room. The door opened and she was met with a most peculiar sight.

A dignified being stood in front of Haru. Dressed entirely in a white suit, it was a cat but he also was adorned with a red vest with blue tie. She could see through the doorway, hanging neatly on coat rack, a matching jacket and even a top hat. She noticed that instead of paws his feet were shod with leather shoes, and that he had gloved hands also. She supposed he could pass for a human, except for obvious cat head and that even at his tallest height he only came up to midway the length of her leg. Emerald eyes surrounded by sleek tawny fur stared piercingly at her.

"He's so cool," she thought dreamily but then she bowed lowly, remembering her place. "My name is Haru. I was on a mission when this cat said to follow him," she said gesturing to the gray cat.

The well dressed cat cocked his head in amusement at the girl who had bent her head so far down during the introduction that he could not see her face. He invited them both in, and despite a tight fit, Haru found herself sitting on a chest being given a tiny cup of specially blended tea.

The gray cat, which Haru discovered was Prince Lune, explained to their patron, the Baron von Gikkingen, that Haru was being modest. She had actually saved his life before he told her to follow her.

Flashing a pleased grin, Baron turned to Haru. "My dear, you have just saved the Prince of the Cat Kingdom. His father, the Cat King, is very powerful."

"…and foolish," she heard Lune mutter. Surprised, she wished to ask why he thought that, but fearing her nosiness might be rude she remained silent. Lune sensed her questions and explained that his Father was still ruling despite his periods of insanity. Lune personally had spent much of the time cleaning up his Father's messes, like blowing up one of the main towers with dynamite. Expecting a laugh from Haru, Lune looked at her only to see she had a sober expression on her face.

"At least you have a father," she murmured off in thought. Lune, startled, realized that it was true. He didn't know what he would do without his father around. Baron, sensing that she, too, had a story to tell, gently cajoled her to speak. Desperate to tell someone her situation, she told both Lune and Baron everything, leaving out no details, and soon found that she had talked non-stop for a complete hour.

"Well that certainly is a predicament," Baron murmured while pouring another cup of tea for everyone. Lune glancing at the time exclaimed the lateness of the hour and excused himself to go back to the Cat Kingdom. He wished Haru luck in her mission but then stared pointedly at Baron and replied, "I'll be sure to tell my Father that you said hello, Baron."

Haru tilted her head in thought. Why did that seem like such an odd comment to make? As if there was a secret message in there. Baron replied with just a wave of dismissal as he sat thinking in silence, seeming to forget about Haru too. She tried to cover a yawn of exhaustion.

Glancing up, Baron suddenly remembered she was there and asked if she wished to sleep. Admittedly she did, but there was no room amongst his furniture. Suddenly remembering how comfortable it was outside, she asked if it was safe.

"Perfectly so," Baron replied, and pulled out the largest blanket and pillow he had. Luckily the night was cool and not cold and Haru slept deeply for the first in a long time.

Daylight broke and Haru woke to see the sun rising on the field of flowers. It was even more beautiful than from her view from the tower. She washed her face from a nearby river which ran behind Baron's house. Giving a cheerful greeting to her benefactor, she saw Baron dressed in the same clothes standing in the doorway.

"I have made a decision. I've decided to come back with you to the kingdom, Haru, to help you with your situation," he told her.

She stared in amazement. "Why would you want to help me?" she exclaimed. "I'm no one. I don't think I can even win the first part of the contest!" She was taken aback as his emerald gaze was fixed upon her.

Angrily he replied, "Haru that's no way to talk about yourself. Always believe in yourself. Do this and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear."

Hiding a blush from his intense stare, Haru stood up and paced a little. "I have to warn you my uncle is crazy. You never know what he might ask," she said warningly.

"So is the Cat King," Baron said derisively, "and I've dealt with him many times."

Haru sighed and agreed. At least she would have an ally going through this ridiculous ordeal. Picking him up at gently as she could between thumb and forefinger she placed him on her shoulder and walked the distance back to the castle.

As she approached her uncle in the throne room, she noticed she was the last to arrive. It even seemed that he was about to start the contest without her until she appeared. She eyed the men her cousins' chose. Both were tall and quite handsome: perfect facial features, with dark ebony hair and strong bodies. She snorted quietly. These men had probably never done a day's work in their lives. She even bet that the only swordplay they knew was just fancy dance moves.

Seeing Baron on Haru's shoulder, Mitsuki and Ying shrieked with condescending laughter.

"Hang on midget! I feel a sneeze coming on! Don't fly off now!" one had cackled mercilessly. The other just continued laughing until she nearly doubled over. Baron ignored their ridicule and simply observed the group in silence.

Glaring, Haru could just console herself saying that Baron had more poise and gentlemanly manners than the two buffoons they chose.

Laughing uproariously, King Yoshi said, "If that is the husband you chose, Haru, so be it." He announced that the first task was to find him the most delicious meal he ever tasted by tomorrow afternoon.

Groaning, Haru cursed inwardly his selfishness. Cooking! A ruler's abilities were not known on how good of a cook he hired! Baron remained silent on her shoulder.

Knowing the King, he must have said to "find him a meal" so that the princesses could probably force their cook to make something or order something from a neighboring kingdom instead of cooking it themselves. Haru, who couldn't afford anything, would have to cook it on her own. They were all dismissed to plan for the meals.

As she climbed the stairs to her room she was approached by the cook. Nervously, he said that he could try to sabotage the princesses' meals in order for hers to taste better. Haru smiled quietly, and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's ok," she said grateful he was willing to risk his life for her. "I'll figure out something."

"You certainly will," Baron consoled her. He urged her to get a good night's sleep as he settled himself into a more comfortable position on the softest rag Haru could find atop the single table adorning her room. She crawled into her bed and fell asleep after an hour of worrying over the first task.

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_Please review,  
Grignard _  



	3. Chapter 3: But Keep the Old

**Tadsgirl**_: Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like it._

**EarthGurdian**_: As always with fairy tales, sometimes things don't get mentioned or they left out. It explains a little later about the marriage problem. _

**RogueFanKC**_: Wow you are spot on! I loved your review. Thank you so very much!_

_Sorry for the loooong update. I'll try to be faster next time._

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_Chapter III: But Keep the Old_

Haru awoke a little before day break to find Baron standing with his back towards her. She smiled to see that he was watching the sunrise. He turned and with a bright smile, wished her a good morning.

"Good Morning to you too, Baron," she smiled back at him. Suddenly sighing, her good mood was broken when she remembered she had to cook a meal literally fit for a king. Rising, she ran a brush through her hair she hurried her way down to the kitchens with Baron on her shoulder.

She gave a bucket of water to the poor cook desperately cooking a meal for Mitsuki to give to her father. Luckily he was not cooking both meals, because Ying opted to send out from one from a different country. He gave her his heartfelt thanks and furiously stirred the pot on the stove.

She was just tying an apron around her waist and entering another area of the kitchen when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Standing in front of her was a large, fat white cat. It wasn't the fact that it was standing that startled her but that it was wearing a hairnet and an apron, and was apparently added seasonings to a large boiling pot.

Baron instructed her to set him on the countertop beside the stove. He calmly sat down observing the cooking process and said, "As you can see Muta," gesturing an elegant hand towards the cat, "is cooking the meal for you, so please sit down and relax."

Shocked speechless, Haru could only collapse into the nearest chair. Muta was mumbling something about whatever was in the pot not being salty enough and threw a dash in to compensate. He had a sleek coat of white fur, and spoke with a gruff voice. Standing on his hind legs, she could also see that it was immense, and could easily reach the stove. She grinned to see that he was very fat. She could never trust a skinny cook.

"Baron!" Muta shouted, "Toss me that jar above your head."

Haru was about to reach for it, when Baron, lifting his cane, knocked it off the shelf, caught it primly, and handed it to Muta to add to the pot. She smiled and could only watch with entertainment as the large fat cat called out orders and Baron found ingenious ways to carry them out.

For a moment, Haru feared that being cats they cooked something strange like stir fried mice, so she tried to sneak a peek into the pot. Muta quickly slammed a lid before she could see anything. Confused she looked towards Baron.

The proper cat just smiled and placing a single finger against his lips mischievously said, "It's a surprise, Haru."

Muta interjected with a gruff, "And we're not trying to poison him either."

Haru laughed merrily. That was exactly the next thought that had popped into her head after Baron's comment. She bent down and scratched Muta behind the ears. Muta purred contentedly because she had managed to find the purr-fect spot on his neck.

"Thanks Muta," she said gratefully. "You're welcomed anytime in our kitchen."

Muta answered with a louder purr.

Baron cleared his throat, "We should go before we're late, Haru."

With a start, she realized it was almost time for the judging, so she carefully grabbed the covered dishes and carried them into the main dining hall. She could smell a heavenly scent emanating from the dishes.

King Yoshi sat down at one of the main tables completely famished. Mitsuki first placed down her meal. It was the cook's fanciest meal of roast chicken, vegetable soup, and sticky rice. Taking a small bite of each, he pronounced it an excellent meal.

Haru rolled her eyes. Of course it was excellent; he had it everyday for lunch.

Next was Ying's meal. She whipped out a plate from a far away country. "Somewhere called Pah-ree _Paris_ ," she said pronouncing it very badly. Yoshi nervously eyed the plate, and took a small bite of the crescent moon shaped bread (croissant), bread with ham and cheese, and fruit-wrapped pastry (crepes). He again pronounced it excellent despite his unfamiliarity of it.

Haru balked. She was unsure that her meal could compete with the King's biased opinion. She looked around wondering where Baron was. She spied him sitting on top of Muta's head by the doorway. Meeting his eyes, she was suddenly lost in his emerald orbs. He nodded his head, beckoning for her to present her meal. She remembered his advice of believing in her abilities. Suddenly she was instilled with confidence and striding forward, she placed the covered meal in front of her uncle.

Yoshi grinned broadly. He knew that his only decision was that one of his daughters' meals was good, and that Haru's was absolutely horrific. He began to waver though as he smelled something delicious just from covered dishes. He removed the cover and just stared in wonderment at what he saw.

It was exquisite. A blue bowl held a generous amount of duck soup with small green onion. The duck wasn't fatty and tender and the broth was exactly the right mix of flavor with very little oil. Next, sitting on a red plate, a small mound of fried rice with pork sausage generously mixed in met his mouth. Lastly, dessert was a sweet bun that was perfectly moist and soft. He soon found himself finishing every bite of the meal. When he was done eating he covered his eyes with his hand.

Haru was anxious to find out his expression after eating the meal Muta had made. She feared the worst when he leaned his head against the palm of his hand and completely covered his eyes. He suddenly looked up at her and she was surprised to find tears flowing down his cheeks.

"How did you know?" he croaked out in a hoarse voice. "This was the exact meal my mother would give me whenever I did well in school. I'd always do well just to have this meal. It tastes exactly the same too," he said in wonderment.

Unable to say a word, Haru swung her eyes over to Baron. He coyly placed a single finger to his lips again and his eyes twinkled merrily.

Turning back to the King unable to offer an explanation, Haru could only ask what his decision was.

Heaving a great sigh King Yoshi was forced to admit hers was.

"The next task will be to find me the perfect robe by tomorrow," and then he flew off into his royal chambers to remember the past which had been dredged up by the food.

Sighing with relief Haru ran over to where Muta and Baron stood. Baron was standing quietly by watching Haru as she threw her arms around Muta and hugged him fiercely.

"Thank you so much," she whispered into his fur. Muta could only duck his head and blush. "How did you know so much about him?" she asked.

Baron answered her, "The King as a boy had a kitten as a pet, though he was forced to give it up when he had to take the throne. Prince Lune tracked the kitten, now a cat, down and asked him what his former owner's favorite meal was. Muta is the best food connoisseur, so I thought he was the perfect candidate for the job."

Haru smiled widely at him, "That's ingenious, Baron!"

Muta snickered as he noticed a blush staining Baron's cheeks. He quickly bent over covering his laughter with his hands and pretended to have a coughing fit as Baron turned to glare at him.

Haru frowned suddenly remembering her uncle's next task. There were still another one after that she had to complete, and surely her uncle would do everything in his power to make her lose. She dreaded the fact that if she lost, she would have to serve in the palace for the rest of her days while one of her cousins and their idiot husband ruled.

Briefly she wondered if Baron would take her in, but quickly squashed the idea when she remembered that she could barely fit into his home. She heard an exasperated yowl coming from Muta, who had to return to the Cat Kingdom. She bent down and embraced him fondly, promising him full plates of food if he ever came over to the palace kitchens again. Waving goodbye, the content white cat sauntered off down the road.

Hearing her stomach growl, Haru realized that she had forgotten to eat lunch due to the excitement of the first task. Wondering what she was going to have to scrounge up in the kitchen, she heard a low baritone voice below her.

"Perhaps, my dear, you would like to accompany me to the kitchen?" Baron questioned her.

With surprise she nodded, and gently picked up Baron and placed him on her shoulder. He sat calmly with one hand placed against the back of her neck for balance, and the other holding his top hat and cane. She wandered back to the kitchen to discover two covered dishes warming on the stove. She uncovered one to find that it was toast with a sunny-side up egg, lettuce, and a slice of tomato.

Haru fondly remembered that it was the meal that her mother would torture her with whenever she woke up late. The other dish was much smaller in size, obviously meant for Baron.

Picking up both their meals, Haru announced, "It's such a lovely day, let's eat outside."

Baron smiled at her fondly, "That's a fine idea," he replied and when they reached the palace gardens they had their meal under the shade of a stately elm.

She had learned a great deal about him that day. She asked him why he did not live in the Cat Kingdom and he explained that he had been living alone in his little house for quite some time and was quite content with it, but he still retained his connections to the Cat Kingdom through Prince Lune and Muta.

After they finished their meal, and Baron had helped Haru with the dishes by skating on the plates with soapy sponge shoes, they sat around chatting with one another. Haru discovered that he had helped many people with their problems, no matter how large or small. She listened to his adventurous tales of scaling steep cliffs to find a blue robin shell a little boy wanted to give to his mother, or fishing a ring from a river because a nervous man had dropped it just before he could propose to his sweetheart.

She laughed gaily through all of his stories, but then asked him what he did for himself.

He paused for a moment and replied sedately, "I experiment with different blends of tea and I wait." He stared off into the distance suddenly.

"For what?" she couldn't help curiously asking. He didn't answer her, but changed the subject suddenly when he saw that it was getting dark. Fearing that she had affronted him, Haru lifted Baron up and headed back to her room. She had just placed Baron back onto the table when she remembered that she had not thought of how to sew a robe for the King.

"Don't worry, Haru. It's being dealt with," Baron said soothingly.

For a moment, Haru had a mental picture of Baron struggling with a sewing needle and thread and getting entangled in the many pieces of cloth it took to sew a robe. She giggled and crawled into bed.

"Night, Baron," she whispered to him. She could see his emerald eyes glowing in the dark, similar to those of most cats.

"Sweet dreams, Haru," he whispered back.

She fell asleep immediately and this time it was Baron who stayed awake into the night. His thoughts were certainly not about the contest though, but for a certain enigmatic girl.

Haru had an aura about her that was playful, joyous, and carefree. Baron believed that anyone else in her situation would have given up and toiled in the castle in anonymity for the rest of their life, but not Haru. She stood up and fought for her right to the throne, not for the title or the riches, but because of the injustice of a cruel king and for the fate of her kingdom. Baron often repeated his mantra of believing in oneself to all that he met, but he thought Haru was the one who most embodied it.

He vowed that he would help her through this no matter what the outcome was. Just as he drifted off to sleep, he felt a slight twinge of emotion in his heart as his eyes gazed on the sleeping Haru. Maybe, just maybe, he was falling in love with her…

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_Thanks for reading! The next chapter is very long, to make up for this one._

_Grignard_


	4. Chapter 4: One is Silver

_Thanks Itasuku-chan, silverbluenchantress, and EarthGurdian for your reviews. Here's an extra long chapter._

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Chapter IV: One is Silver_

Haru breathed deeply inhaling the familiar scent of her room. Surprised, she could smell the lingering aroma of Baron's lavender cologne. Slowly she stretched her arms above her head and opened her eyes. Just as she had thought, the sun had not risen yet. Glancing over she saw Baron asleep atop the rags she had carefully laid out for him.

"I should find something more comfortable for him to sleep on," she thought.

A sharp pain of sadness struck her. He was only going to aid her on her mission, so that meant he'll only be with her today and tomorrow after the final test. What would she do without him? Would he even consider staying with her?

She ran through several scenarios in her mind:

A) She would lose the contest and be forced to work as the lowest class servant in the palace. "No," she thought. That would be cruel to Baron.

B) By a miracle, she would win the contest and become queen. The King did specify that the princesses should find a husband before the contest began, so did that mean she and Baron would be married? Blushing, she pictured her and Baron in a traditional wedding ceremony, her standing as a giant next to his miniscule size. What would the public think about having a miniature cat as their king?

C) She would run away from the palace and live with Baron in his quaint little house. She scoffed quietly to herself. She'd never fit anywhere in there, and the Kingdom would go to ruin if she did.

Haru had been seeing more and more people at the kitchen alley begging for a bit of food or wood for a fire. It seemed that with the prolonged contest, more and more of the lower class people were being pushed aside to accommodate for the richer class citizens who had stayed to view the contest.

She sat up quickly remembering why she had to wake up so early. Despite her participation in the contest, she was still a servant serving in the royal palace. The only reason why she spent the whole day with Baron was because it was the one day during the month which she received off. Now it was back to work.

Tying a handkerchief around her hair, she quickly rushed down to the kitchen to get her assignment for the day, never noticing a pair of glowing green eyes watching her every move.

Baron rose from his make-shift bed and looked around the room. Carefully he hooked his cane onto the window sill and pulled himself up. Perching precariously on the ledge he scanned the skies, ignoring the obvious fact that he was a very long way up from the ground. Spying his target, he gave a sharp, piercing whistle. The object flattened its wings against its body and dive bombed and hovered right in front of Baron.

"Why, you're up early today, Baron," the crow greeted the cat.

"Yes, Toto. Did you do what I asked?" Baron answered curtly.

"The crows, the cats in the Cat Kingdom, and I spent all night working on it," Toto said affirmatively.

"Excellent," Baron replied with a pleased nod. "Now, if I can ask another favor of you, Haru has gone to work, so would you could please fly me down to the main servants' quarters?"

Confused, but trusting Baron, Toto nodded, and after Baron made an elegant leap onto him, the two of them flew down to where the servants were. The servants were surprised to see him and were wary, thinking that he was as uptight and snobbish as the princesses' husband. Fortunately with his impeccable manners and cool personality they all found themselves laughing and enjoying his company.

"It's a good thing Haru found you," one servant blabbed. "I'd hate to think what would happened if she ended up with someone like one of the princes."

Baron had to still a strange feeling in his heart. Somehow the thought of Haru married to another pained him. Smiling, he replied that it was a good thing for him too, and several women around him exclaimed, "Aww…"

Blushing Baron changed the subject by questioning several of the maids about the Kingdom while they folded blankets and towels.

Some smiled bitterly, "It didn't always used to be like this," one of the elder laundry woman said.

She explained that several years ago, before Haru's uncle ruled, her grandfather, Hu, was King of the land. Despite his royal status he lived in a cottage, not unlike those of the commoners with his wife and two sons. This was before the kingdom had been very prosperous and that a majority of the people had little wealth. Despite their royal status, the two boys had a regular upbringing, went to school with the neighborhood kids, and grew up to become very close brothers.

The elder son, Ling, soon became of age and began assisting his father with ruling the kingdom. With his innovative ideas and modernization of farming techniques, the kingdom soon amassed a great deal of wealth. He never grew arrogant or selfish though, and maintained peace for his entire reign.

Baron nodded in understanding.

"Things began to change, though, when he married Haru's mother," another servant piped up, pausing in her folding to tell her tale.

He was in love with his childhood sweetheart for a long time, and finally received permission to marry her. Rather than having her completely change her life to become a royal, he decided to live with her above her quilting shop. Ling would continue to rule, as his father did from humble home. Such an idea was unheard of, but his advisors agreed to let him be with her. After all, he did make many of them very wealthy.

The problem started when his wife and newborn child were nearly killed in an assassination attempt. The neighboring kingdom, belligerent and desiring wealth, had launched a secret attack on the house. They had hoped that the resulting chaos emerging from the wake of his death would allow them the opportunity to take over the kingdom. His concern for his family's safety made him act on the decision to abdicate the throne to his younger brother, Yoshi.

Not having the friendliness and charisma of his older brother, the new King was not highly trusted, but with the help of his brother, he soon maintained peace and order in the kingdom. He married soon after Ling, but instead of a marriage of love and affection it was one of convenience. Hoshi, his new wife, possessed a small tract of land laded with gold, which the kingdom had desired to possess. They had two twin daughters who were sent immediately off to boarding school. Mitsuki and Ying had grown up barely seeing their parents. Instead of love, they were showered with great gifts of money and jewelry leading them to be spoiled and selfish creatures.

Yoshi had ruled successfully for five years, often turning to his older brother for advice, but then unfortunate news had struck. Riding back to his home after a hunting trip, Ling had fallen prey to the hand of bandits.

The Kingdom mourned his death with great sadness but there was a rumor circulating that his death was an assassination attempt that had finally succeeded. The former King was an accomplished rider and warrior, fully capable of defeating some two-bit bandits. It also did not help that soon after his death Yoshi began paying a yearly tribute to the neighboring kingdom, which apparently had changed their plan after seeing the vast military power that had amassed since the last assassination attempt. Instead of taking over the kingdom, they would instead receive money from them. Yoshi obeyed this unjust action for fear of them going after his family, or after the remainder of Ling's.

He had loved his older brother deeply and was willing to take in Haru and her mother, but was persuaded by the constant nagging of his wife that the family would be bewildered from all the riches that they saw. Truthfully, she did not want to support them, and wanted the riches all for herself. Hoshi had grown too accustomed to a rich life, and was not going to let some little brat take that away from her. Yoshi was easily swayed now after losing his beloved brother and confidant. Hoshi would not enjoy her riches for long though, because the epidemic that took away Haru's mother would kill her also.

After she died, King Yoshi felt it was time to finally let Haru into his life. Unfortunately his daughters, who had inherited their mother's comfort with wealth convinced him to make her a servant instead, that was how Haru came to live in the castle.

Baron thanked the ladies profusely for their information, and that it was most helpful. He promised that everything would turn out for the best for Haru; he would make sure of it. Seeing the lateness of the time, he asked if one of them would take him to the throne room to prepare Haru for the second task.

Haru tapped her foot impatiently. She was alarmed when she did not find Baron in his usual place after her shift was over but finally spotted a maid carrying him.

"Are you okay?" she said with relief as the servant maid carefully placed him on a nearby table.

"Just having a delightful chat with your friends, Haru," Baron said calmly.

Haru frowned quietly. She was hoping he was working on the robe, but didn't want to question him. He did promise that everything would be handled, but she was still worried. They were all alone, seeing that everyone was waiting in the throne room.

Suddenly a black crow flew into the room with a wrapped parcel in its beak. Landing in front of Baron, he gently set the package in front of him.

"About time you got here Toto," Baron said crossly.

"Sorry Baron, I had some trouble getting away from the Cat King. He becomes more moody everything day," Toto explained.

"Well, maybe we can kill two birds with one stone," Baron replied unthinkingly. Seeing his friend's shocked face, he quickly apologized.

Haru curiously approached the two.

"Oh this must be the lovely Haru," Toto exclaimed with a bow. "You're all they talk about in the Crow and Cat Kingdoms," he continued.

Haru could only blush and bow in return to the talking crow. She was glad that no one could see her talking with a crow. Baron made the introductions but then instructed her to take the bundle to the King.

Walking into the throne room she could see her uncle pulling out one robe. It was Mitsuki's. He tugged it on exclaiming what good workmanship it was. Haru was surprised that he did not disqualify her for being late, but ever since she had presented the meal to him, he seemed distant, and more introspective.

Mitsuki's robe was crafted by the Royal Tailor. Ever the cheapskate, she opted again to send for something made by the Kingdom instead of paying shipping costs. The robe she had was red with a rearing golden dragon embroidered across the back.

"Not bad," Yoshi murmured, "A little short in the sleeves though."

Haru was shocked. He had never criticized his children before.

"I guess there's a first time for anything," she thought drolly.

Next he tried on Ying's. She, again, had sent for a robe made in a country different from theirs. He pulled out a voluminous purple robe of velvet with gold trim. Everyone marveled at the unusual color and cloth material. None like it had ever been seen in the city. The King tried it out, it was a little wide in the waist, but otherwise a very lovely robe.

Both daughters threw each other a triumphant look at his praises. They were sure whatever Haru brought in would be inferior to their wonderful entries.

This was exactly what Haru was thinking as she placed the wrapped parcel in front of the King. He eagerly opened it like a child during his birthday. When he managed to undo the bundle, he froze and just stared at what he saw inside for several seconds. Everyone waited, but when he had not pulled the robe from its wrappings, all looked upon him but were surprised to see that his hands were shaking. His glance flew over to Haru. He strangely looked at her for a couple of seconds, as if he was really seeing her for the first time.

Haru was instantly worried. He was just sitting there staring at her entry. From her point of view it seemed to be a folded ordinary green robe. No frills, lace, or anything else. The twins were tittering behind her.

"No one of high standing would be caught wearing that!" they whispered to each other.

There snickers were silenced, however, by a cold glance from their father. He had finally pulled the robe out of its wrappings and was holding it at arms length.

"Do…do you not approve?" Haru managed to stammer out. She shot a fearful glance at Baron who stood in the doorway across the room.

"Have faith, Haru. Believe in yourself," she told herself silently as she awaited the King's response.

He finally spoke. "You know, Haru, I'm beginning to expect the unexpected ever since this contest began."

Haru blinked a couple of times. He…said her name?

"Haru," he continued. Yup, he definitely said her name.

"This," he said gesturing to the robe, "is a replica of the silk robe that your father gave me as a good luck gift when he abdicated the throne. This is the exact color and design. I'd lost the original, but this… it's amazing."

"Yeah, amazing," Haru whispered, glancing over at Baron. Meeting her uncle's eyes, she pulled herself to her tallest height.

"My father… was a good man, wasn't he?" Haru asked him softly. She was starved for information about him. Suddenly it was as if she and her uncle were the only ones in the room.

"He was a great man. I see many of his qualities in you," he spoke clearly, as if he too was realizing those qualities in her just now. A pause rose up between Yoshi, thinking of his beloved brother, and Haru, about the father she never knew.

"So who wins this contest?" a shrill voice shrieked out, breaking their intimate moment. It was Ying still believing that hers or Mitsuki's robe would win, and completely ignoring their father's odd state of mind.

Mustering as much patience as he could, Yoshi said sternly, "Ying, if you opened your eyes, you would see that I have chosen Haru's robe as the winner." Taking a deep breath, he lightly ran a hand through the silken folds in silent thought.

"For the final contest, I request a waltz between each princess and their choice of mate," and with that he returned to his royal chambers.

Haru stood in her place, shocked to the core. A waltz… her fate was sealed. She did not possess the grace and poise her cousins did, and even if she could waltz, she certainly could not with Baron due to the obvious. Bursting into tears, she ran out into the garden. Collapsing underneath the elm where she and Baron had shared lunch, she cried until she had no more tears.

Baron motioned suddenly to Toto, and with a leap, jumped on the crow's back to find his Haru.

"_His_ Haru?" Baron thought suddenly. "No," he decided to himself. It was too late. Seeing her today, standing up to her uncle, seeing her eyes light up with joy at the mention of her father… Baron was truly and utterly in love with the girl.

Thanking Toto, he jumped and landed squarely by Haru's side. Looking up, Baron could see Toto soaring through the sky and dipping his wings in a gesture of farewell. He turned to see a hiccupping Haru.

Utterly dejected, Haru whispered, "It's all over."

He sternly told her, "No, Haru. Listen to me. Just keep believing in yourself."

With great anger, she shot back, "No, Baron! You listen to me! No matter how much I believe, there is no way I have a chance of winning a waltzing contest! Both Mitsuki and Ying have years of etiquette and dancing practice. I have _never_ waltzed a day in my life!"

She paused suddenly and murmured, "I probably end up alone and working as a scullery maid." "Waltzing, of all things!" she yelled out in anger. "And even if I could, I couldn't dance…with…you."

Haru stared at her hands, refusing to meet Baron's eyes and idly twiddling a leaf through her fingers. In her heart, she knew it was a poor excuse. Baron couldn't help being his size, and together they could probably figure out the logistics to dance. She was just so angry at the King for having this idiotic contest, her cousins for thinking that this was all just a game, and at herself for not having any power to do anything.

She sighed. It wasn't her fault that she was raised along with the lower class.  
She wouldn't trade it for a nobleman's life either. The Princesses knew of philosophy, mathematics and astronomy, but they had no common sense or empathy towards their fellow man. Haru had a simple education, but she knew every single person that worked in the castle and their respective families.

Baron, after pondering the right thing to say to Haru, finally spoke.

"Haru…" He gently reached out and tilted her chin up with his gloved hand so that his eyes could meet hers.

"Haru," he repeated. "You are not going to work as a scullery maid. I can teach you how to waltz."

Haru nodded quietly. She scolded herself mentally for not trusting Baron. He managed to get Muta and Toto's aid so that she could win two of the trials, so why not the third?

Baron paused. Should he say what was truly in his heart? Just as he was about to speak again, Haru exclaimed that she was late returning to her duties in the castle. She rushed back into the castle.

"You can come out now, Your Majesty," Baron called out.

Surprised the King stepped out from his hiding place around the corner.

He had just come out of a meeting with his political advisors, the mandarins, and spied Haru talking with Baron. From his vantage point around the courtyard wall, he could see the two perfectly. Now, he wasn't accustomed to spying, but he needed to observe his niece.

"You know, you're really hurting her," Baron told him flatly.

Yoshi grimaced. He didn't want to hurt Haru, but he couldn't do anything to help her either.

"I came to talk to you, Baron," he said. "I've been getting to know the other husbands, or husband-to-be and I wanted to meet you.

Baron blanched at the King's pointed comment, but ignored it for now. He knew that one of the stipulations to rule was that Haru had to have a husband, but she didn't really as him to marry her. She could, in fact, choose another if she truly wanted to. Again, a cold chill ran through his heart.

The two chatted quietly. The King found it refreshing to talk to someone who did not pander to his wishes. The other two "Princes" were empty-headed and spoke of nothing but wealth or titles. They cared not for the lower class or anything else besides themselves.

Baron snorted, "Perfect companions for the Princesses." He feared that he had offended the King, but Yoshi just waved it off.

"I have had too lenient a hand with their upbringing. I should have disciplined them more."

"It's not too late to change them," Baron added. "Anyone can change, no matter what their age."

Yoshi stared at Baron. "Yes," he agreed. "An old dog is never too old to learn new tricks." With that he sauntered off, his heart lighter than earlier that day.

He hitched a ride on a genial soldier. Baron was gratefully greeted by Haru, who looked exhausted from worry and work. Despite her fatigue, she insisted on learning how to waltz. Baron quickly ran through the steps. She practiced with an imaginary partner, and he pronounced it to be quite lovely. After murmuring their goodnights, Haru immediately drifted off to sleep.

Baron sighed and stared at the full moon. He felt strange and different today. The wind blew past him, ruffling his fur. A sudden jolt ran up his spine. His emerald eyes narrowed.

"Soon, Haru…soon," he whispered.

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_ Please review!  
Grignard _


	5. Chapter 5: And the Other Gold

_Thanks tadsgirl, SpiritWell, Thundercat, EarthGurdian, Alea Seikou, Kia Sapphire,and animeluver911! I always appreciate all of your reviews and hope that you all enjoy the final chapter of 'The Reluctant Royal.' More stories are on the way._

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_Chapter V: And the Other Gold_

Haru opened her eyes slowly. She had just had a wonderful dream, but she couldn't remember it no matter how hard she tried.

"Oh well," she sighed quietly. "Maybe it's a good omen for today."

She glanced out the window. It was a few minutes before sunrise. She rose and stretched her arms above her head, mindful of the sleeping Baron. Turning her head, she expected to see him sprawled out sleeping on his makeshift bed, but his place was empty.

Alarmed she shot out of her bed. There was no way he could have gotten out of her room on his own! She surveyed the room quickly, just in case he accidentally fell off the table during the night. He was no where to be seen. She gasped as she noticed a tall shadowed figure in the corner of her tiny room.

"Who are you?" she exclaimed. "What have you done with Baron?"

Silence met her question so Haru strode over to the figure.

"Answer my question!" she shouted at him.

The sun began to rise, and Haru's eyes followed a single band of light across the floor of the room. Slowly it drifted up against the figure, accenting light tan wingtip shoes and crisp white pants. Eyes widening, Haru saw the sunlight reveal a red vest and blue tie, but she was more astonished to see his face.

It was… exactly the same: light orange fur highlighted by amused emerald eyes which, narrowed in the sunlight.

"Baron?" she whispered in shock.

"Yes it's me," he answered her. Grinning, he replied, "And technically you asked two questions, not one."

Blinking in confusion, Haru realized he was answering her previous accusation and rolled her eyes. She moved closer to him and raised her hand up to touch his cheek but stopped an inch away, fearing his reaction.

Smiling softly, he dipped his head down and leaned against her palm, all the while closing his eyes and reveling in her gentle touch.

"I don't understand," she whispered. Secretly she too was enjoying the sensation of running her fingers through his silky fur.

"It's a long story," he murmured.

She laughed, "We have time, Baron. The others won't be awake for another hour."

Suddenly she giggled quietly and with a pout said, "I used to have to kneel to speak at eye level with you. Now I have to look up." Her laughing brown eyes met his piercing emerald ones.

Baron let out what sounded like a cross between a sigh and a groan. "I can't take this anymore!" he breathed out. The feel of her touch and her close proximity was too much and he enveloped Haru in a hug. He feared that she would push him away but felt her tense up, and then slowly wrap her arms around his neck.

Haru, startled by his action, found her face buried into the fur on his neck. Whenever Haru walked with Baron she noticed a sweet smell around him. Being so close to him she realized it was the scent of jasmine and the tea which he always drank. She could feel his breath tickle the tip of her ear as his chin rested on the side of her head.

Confused, she spoke softly, "Baron?" Her voice was slightly muffled in his neck.

Heaving a sigh, Baron had an excuse to give her about his unorthodox action, but decided to speak from the heart. It wasn't considered respectful to embrace someone who they were not married to, but hopefully, Baron thought, that would change.

"Haru…" he paused suddenly losing his nerve. He heard a soft groan come from Haru.

"Get to the point, Baron," she grumbled.

He chuckled. She was never very patient. To Haru, his laughter made his chest vibrate pleasantly and wrapped her arms closer around him.

"I am a member of the Jade Emperor's court," he started.

Surprised, Haru looked up and interrupted, "You're a fairy?"

The Jade Emperor was the ruler of the heavens who looked down upon the populace and rewarded them with good or punished them with bad luck. Those who served the Emperor often went down to the human world to fix problems or to see how those of the earthbound world were doing.

He grimaced, "I said I was a member of his court, NOT a fairy."

She snickered, "You were a fairy."

Rolling his eyes he continued, "The Emperor sent me to handle a situation in the Cat Kingdom. Apparently the King did not appreciate my presence, and decided to curse me to the form which you found me."

"What did you do?" Haru questioned him. Her forehead cutely, at least in Baron's opinion, scrunched up in confusion.

He sweat-dropped and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with his hand. "I may have cut off all his fur," he said like a little child admitting his wrong.

Haru laughed openly, "Baron! That's a horrible thing to do!"

Baron wrapped his arms close around her again and mumbled, "He deserved it. He was trying to blow up the bridge between the human and Cat world. I suppose he reversed the spell this morning."

She chuckled and leaned her body back into the embrace of a now life-sized Baron. Startled, she realized suddenly the implications now that with his full form back.

"Are you going back to the Celestial Palace now?" she spoke softly.

Haru felt his body go rigid.

"I was hoping…" he replied, "that I could stay here on earth."

"Well, we'd have to get some workers to build you a new home. You certainly can't live in your old one and then…" Haru babbled.

Baron rolled his eyes at her denseness, and decided that there was only one way to get his point across the most effectively. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers in a soft kiss.

"I meant," he murmured as his lips touched the tip of her ear, "that I would stay on earth… with you. I love you, Haru."

Haru's mind barely registered his words. _Stay…earth…love… you_.

"Did he mean it?" she thought suddenly. She pulled away from him and looked deeply into his eyes. Her mother had always told her that you could always tell if a person was lying by the emotion shown in their eyes.

She saw joy, hope, a touch of sadness, but mostly a genuine feeling of love in his turbulent irises. Realizing that her response was taking too long, she too countered his impulsive action with one of her own and smirking, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him with equal passion.

Baron felt his heart sink when she first pulled away from him. He had taken a chance in telling her, and knew what was at risk. It was one he was willing to take, and judging by her response, quickly decided it was the right one.

He pressed his lips against hers with equal fervor: softly, gently, but with closed lips. This experience was still new for the both of them and a joyful declaration of love. Baron felt his lips curve into a smile against Haru's. He was sure there would be more time for new experiences.

Pulling away to take a much need breath of air, Haru grinned widely and coyly said, "Did that answer your question?"

He groaned at her sarcastic comment and lovingly kissed her forehead.

"At least I know ways to silence you," he laughingly replied back. He grew serious and said, "We should go. Your uncle and the others should be awake by now."

As they proceeded to the throne room, Haru gulped as nervous butterflies settled into her stomach. With Baron now a suitable partner to waltz with, she might actually have a chance at the throne, but could she be queen? She was sure that one of her cousins would challenge her to the throne, that is, if her uncle had already not chosen one of them. Lately he had been introspective, melancholy, and withdrawn. He'd shut himself in his room for a majority of the day, only leaving to briefly take a light meal. He had left for several hours to consult with the royal advisors, his mandarins, but after that retreated back into his quarters.

She was pulled away from her thoughts by a gloved hand gently taking hers. Rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb, Baron gently asked her what she was thinking of.

"The future," she whispered quietly.

He stopped and took her by the shoulders.

Looking deeply into her eyes so that she would know he was telling the truth, he said sternly, "Whatever happens will happen and you should know that you tried your best. I will love you and stay with you no matter what the outcome."

Tears began to fill her eyes as Haru realized how lucky she was to have Baron in her life.

"I love you too, and thank you," she whispered to him.

Now confident, she tucked her arm around Baron's proffered arm and strode into the throne room. Her cousins soon entered with their husbands in tow dressed in expensive gowns, and were followed by the mandarins. Haru politely bowed to her respected elders. They all stared in surprise at Baron's transformation but bowed back. Lastly King Yoshi entered, looking haggard and weary in appearance. He glanced briefly at Haru and Baron and took his seat.

He ordered light music to be played and Mitsuki took her turn first. She waltzed beautifully with her partner for the duration of the song. She threw a confident sneer in Haru's direction when the song ended. Ying, too, showed the same contempt as her song ended.

The band began to play the beginning notes of "Katzen Blut," an old-fashioned waltz popular in the elder's time. Baron led Haru out to the middle of the room, while she murmured the steps to herself. Sensing her trepidation, he placed a gentle kissed against the back of her hand.

Placing their hands in the appropriate positions they began to waltz. Haru at first began to stare at their feet, making sure she didn't step on Baron's toes and to watch where he would lead her. Baron smiled and briefly let go of her extended hand to softly lift her chin up.

"Look up Haru, and believe in yourself," he said in a soft voice.

Seeing the loving gaze which he had for Haru, she forgot all about the counts or the feet positionings. Concentrating only on his face and the subtle cues he made in leading her, she soon lost herself in the music. Twirling gracefully in his arms she found the steps to be second in nature to her and too soon, she realized, the waltz was over.

Soft clapping met both of their ears. Haru's eyes flicked over to Baron's proud gaze and looked to see who was applauding. Surprisingly, she saw it was her uncle, who was standing with a strange look in his eyes.

"Beautiful," he murmured. "Just like the way your father and mother used to look like."

Perturbed at his uncharacteristic comment, Haru could only gawk blankly at him. He continued on by addressing his daughters.

"Mitsuki, Ying," he started. "Your dances reflected the grace and delicacy of the lessons that were given to you by the royal instructors. Yet, there was no feeling between you and your partner. It reminded me of the old tale of the 'Emperor and the Nightingale:' stiff and mechanical versus natural and wonderful."

The girls too could only stare in amazement at their father's chastisement of them.

He sighed, "Perhaps if I had been a better father to you, then maybe things wouldn't have turned out so badly, but that should not affect my decision." He paused to choose his next words carefully.

Haru steadied herself for his decision, but with shock noticed a few new faces enter the room.

Muta, the grumpy fat cat had Toto perched on his back as he slowly padded into the room.

"If you didn't take the time to eat that last lemon cake slice, then we wouldn't be late!" she could hear Toto quietly chiding him.

"Ehh, shut your mouth. We made it didn't we?" Muta could only reply crossly.

Following the two arguing characters were Prince Lune, in his sleek grey coat and strange eyes, and another older cat. This one was similar in appearance but had a long haired coat, which seemed a little unkempt and wore a gold crown. It entered slowly, but as soon as he noticed the figure sitting in the throne, bounded across the room. Haru noticed that this action belied his old age.

Yoshi could only look on in awe as a streaking grey ball of fur landed in his lap, forcing himself to sit down again. The girls shrieked and demanded that the atrocity be removed at once. Staring at the oddly colored eyes, the king waved off the soldiers which had moved to follow the princesses' orders.

Memories flooded Yoshi as he gently stroked the older cat's fur: making believe he was a warrior as he battled his older brother, Ling, with wooden swords, eating his favorite meal made by his mother, and especially playing with his pet, the very cat which he now held in his arms.

"It has been a long time, my friend," he whispered softly. "We have made some mistakes, but I suppose that the next generation must now right our wrongs. Let's hope that they can forgive us."

The Cat King gave one slow blink at his former owner in understanding and leapt off his lap. Padding slowly over to his son, he bowed low in front of Prince Lune until the crown slipped with a small clang onto the hard floor. The prince took the crown between his teeth and bowed in return to his father.

"I'll try to make you proud, Father," he whispered.

"You've always made me proud," his father answered back.

The others did not hear their conversation, except for Haru and Baron. The former Cat King met Baron's eyes and again bowed low in a symbol of apology. Baron nodded back in acceptance.

Yoshi stood again.

"I have made my decision. Actually, yesterday I made my decision," he spoke clearly. He walked until he was in front of Haru and placed his hands atop her shoulders.

His eyes met hers as he spoke in a strong voice, "When you entered this palace all those years ago, you reminded me so much of your father that it terrified me. I could feel his gaze every time I even glanced at you. It was so soon after his death, I guess that was the reason why I never visited you." He paused to gather his thoughts.

"This contest started out as a farce. Just as amusing diversion to pick a successor, but you made it into an actual contest. Your entries reminded me of who I was before I became king. I admit I am ashamed of who I am now."

Haru interrupted him. "Oh Uncle, I do admit that your actions made me angry but you can fix them."

He smiled. "You are ever wise, Haru. I will fix them… by declaring you queen of the kingdom."

His daughters began to protest, seeing their future of power and wealth began to slip away.

"You can't do that father! We are the rightful princesses and how can that…that thing be king?" they exclaimed, motioning to Baron's odd figure.

Yoshi frowned and turned to address his daughters.

"Silence!" he barked out. "It is this kind of attitude why you can never be ruler. It is the both of you that are the false princesses. If Haru's father had not died, then you would have never been introduced to this life. As to Baron's figure, we'll let the public decide on that, but first…"

He turned back to meet Haru's confused gaze.

"Do you accept Haru? This position is not to be taken lightly, and it would take all of your effort and will to perform," he said firmly.

He paused and said softly, "I believe in you and… please forgive me."

As tears overwhelmed her, Haru threw her arms around her uncle.

"Yes, uncle," she sobbed into his neck. "And I forgive you."

King Yoshi, now the former king, stared at his niece, the new queen, with tearful eyes. He could feel the weight that had been burdening him ever since the news of his brother's death being lifted off of him, and Ling's happy smile in his mind. This was one of the most honorable decisions he had made in a long time. He tore his gaze away from Haru to meet Baron's mysterious look.

"I don't know the circumstances of how you met, but if you accept the position of king then you must also accept the position of being Haru's husband. Do you agree?" Yoshi questioned.

Baron spoke loudly and clearly, so that all in the room heard him. "I accept the proud role of being Haru's husband to be just that, NOT because I want to be king. I will be king in order to be her husband, though."

Haru smiled and took his hand in hers. He always knew the right thing to say.

Yoshi nodded in agreement. "Now it is time for the presentation to the populace. I am sure they will agree to this."

Haru thoughts began to run wildly. She knew the public might object to her as queen, but most likely they would protest to Baron as king. She felt Baron squeeze her hand to draw her away from her destructive thoughts. She smiled to see how he always seemed to read her mind.

Yoshi addressed the large crowd which stood in front of the palace entry.

"My people," he started. "I do not have the right to call you this, judging from my past actions, but I hope that my decision will correct my wrongs. I announce as the new queen: Haru, my niece."

With that a deafening cheer went up from the crowd. Many thought that the king would choose one of his daughters, and they hoped that the lesser of the two evils would be picked, but to have Haru as queen was unheard of. She had helped so many of them during her time at her former home above her mother's shop, and then at the palace that they knew she would be a just and fair queen. But who would rule as king by her side?

Gathering up her courage, Haru faced the crowd and spoke her first words as queen.

"I am honored that you have agreed with my uncle's decision. I will do my best to serve you, the people."

Another large cheer arose from the crowd.

She continued, her nervousness returning from her next words.

"My husband, your new king… will be Baron."

Baron stepped into the crowd's line of view at Haru's side. Silence met his entrance and the crowd took in his presence. Closing her eyes in disbelief, Haru told herself that she would relinquish the throne if the public didn't accept Baron. No matter what her position in life, be it queen or servant, Baron would always be with her. She truly understood what her father must had been through in order to marry her mother.

Her worries were dashed as a tremendous roar erupted from the crowd.

"It's Baron!" several people exclaimed.

"He helped me find a gift for my mommy," a little boy sitting atop his father's shoulders shouted.

"He helped me discover my true talent," a young woman, a popular author said with a shy smile.

"He helped me find her," her husband, a violin maker, said proudly as he kissed her on the cheek.

Haru smiled as she heard all of their comments.

She whispered quietly to him, "Looks like you have been very busy ever since you were banished to earth."

Baron smiled at her. "I helped people just like how you helped them, my love."

Haru laughed as her heart began to beat wildly at his comment of adoration.

Yoshi smiled gently at their loving antics and proclaimed that they be wed in front of the crowd. With great joy he troth-plighted them and that nothing could separate their happy union.

That day was the beginning of Haru's happy life. Sure, her role as queen had their stressful days but the crowd supported her every decision.

The former King Yoshi retired to a small house in the less-well-to-do part of the kingdom, often volunteering and helping out his fellow man with his best friend, the former Cat King accompanying his every move. Now together after years of separation, the two would never be parted again.

The princesses, keeping their titled, lived together with their husbands in a house set up by Haru and Baron. With consultation the girls learned a trade along with their husbands. Mitsuki discovered that she was an efficient events coordinator, often arranging modest but fun affairs and charities at the palace. Ying found that she was an excellent foreign relations liaison to the public. She arranged purchases by the merchants with the neighboring countries at reasonable prices. As a hobby she consulted richer woman in shopping for gowns or household purchases. Both of their husbands became farmers and sold their wares in town. All soon overcame their vices.

Everyone thought that the unusual but happy couple would spend the rest of their days ruling from their immaculate castle.

No one suspected that the two lived in a replica of Baron's house (life-sized of course) in a daffodil field just outside the palace walls. They thought that servants would perform their daily, mundane tasks, but in actuality Haru cooked, with lessons from Muta, while Baron washed the dishes, and both cleaned the house.

No one also ever surmised that the two waltzed every night under the moonlight to music only they could hear. One night, Haru smiled as she stared lovingly into Baron's eyes. Before, she had felt awkward and unwanted. Now, not only did she find her family, and a blissful home, she had found her place in life.

It was here, in Baron's arms, she thought as he dipped her low and met her lips in a loving kiss.

* * *

_Finally it's done!_

_ Please Review,_

_Grignard _


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